Department for Work and Pensions miss the point about PIP

Personal Independence Payments (PIP) must change. Together, we’ll make the UK Government listen.

In June this year, we launched a campaign calling for the PIP 20 metre rule to be scrapped.

Since then, you’ve been speaking out. More than 25,000 of you have added your voices to the petition and shared how the rule – which makes no sense – has affected your lives:

"Walking 20m is a pointless test, it doesn’t show anything in particular."
James

"To move 20 metres is nothing. The bus stop is further than that."
Caryl

"Reduced money means I am now confined to my house."
Salah

But despite us all being loud and clear the 20 metre rule is failing people with MS, so far the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hasn’t addressed our concerns.

Nothing modern about being trapped at home

In their responses to us so far the DWP said there’s no agreement on a ‘perfect’ measure for mobility. We and other charities agree: the 20 metre rule isn’t just imperfect, it’s failing disabled people.

The DWP say PIP was designed with a “modern understanding of disability”. But there’s nothing modern and understanding about people with MS being trapped in their homes.

They also say it’s difficult to know how much the rule is costing other services. But we know the NHS alone is having to spend over £7.7 million a year on people with MS using services more as a result of the transition from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP.

This just isn’t good enough. So it’s time to get louder.

Getting louder

We’re taking the campaign straight to the DWP. Next week we’ll be handing in our petition calling for the PIP 20 metre rule to be scrapped.

Over 25,000 of you have already signed the petition - but we still need more!

The more names we have the louder we are.

Add your voice

With just a few days to go until we hand our petition in, we need your help.

Read more about what the DWP said

The Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, Sarah Newton MP wrote to us on 18 September 2018 saying "There's no consensus across the health and social care community of the perfect measure of mobility."

In this section

Read more about why we need to scrap PIP

Caryl lost out under the PIP 20 metre rule

Caryl lives with her husband in Carmarthenshire. She has difficulty walking because of her MS. But earlier this year she made a 10 hour round trip to Westminster to tell MPs: it's time to scrap the PIP 20 metre rule.